Vegetarian Werewolf
by lindseyleprosy
Summary: AN ORIGINAL STORY INSPIRED BY BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER'S OZ CHARACTER. A girl named Kale is bitten, and now she craves flesh. But how will she be able to resist, since she is a vegetarian?
1. Becoming

**THE CHARACTER KALE, JAY, AND ALL OTHER CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE ENTIRELY ORIGINAL, AS IS THEIR STORY.**

* * *

Kale dug her elongated nails into the cool, mushy soil. _It hurts. No, it doesn't, I just feel pressure, as if my entire body is being ripped apart._ Kale gave way to a yelp, a howl that pierced the silent night. Dennis Farmer, one of the boys in her homeroom at school, came out of his house._Hmm, he looks yummy. NO,_ she corrected herself in her mind. _He is meat, I don't eat meat._ A bit of predator inside her awoke as fur emerged over her body. It reminded her who she was, what she did.

_Yes, you do. You're a werewolf, creature of the night. Big furry menace? Full moon doggy? Ring any bells, gongs, even a flute, perhaps?  
_

But Kale continued to shake her now shaggy head, growling quietly. A bit of her human state of mind still remained, but it disappeared, trickling away slowly as the wolf in her came out. She could see, through orb-like, sharp eyes, that Dennis was inching his way toward the azalea bush she was nestled in, waving his flashlight around maniacally. _Food._ Dennis smelled like cologne and...blood? Oh, she had forgotten he had gotten into a fight earlier today in first period. Kale bit down hard on her bottom lip, and sucked on the blood that arose, savoring the bitter taste. The werewolf could feel her appetite rising, and what little human was left in her tried desperately to push it down. But the scent of blood overcame her, and as Dennis fingered the bushes lazily, looking what had made the noise, she burst from the azaleas and tackled him. As she tore into her meal, Kale yowled at the large, yellow, full moon.


	2. Anger And Memories

**CHAPTER TWO: ANGER/MEMORIES **

* * *

Kale scrubbed the blood off of her teeth, tears sparkling in her eyes. She was at her bathroom sink, glaring at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. Her bright blue eyes flickered to an angry, frightening black, empty yet painful, for a moment, then flickered back to their norm.

Kale had a flashback to the previous night, hearing Dennis screaming as she clawed at his skin, blood spurting as she chewed bits of flesh she had ripped. Then she had whimpered as she turned back into a human, eying the dead body of her classmate. Then she was back in her bathroom, lying on the cold, gray linoleum, sobbing. She pulled at her gray and black tank top, covered in blood. It was choking her, the scent of blood was. Kale was horrified. She had just killed someone, and the taste of him was still in her mouth, making her gag with sickness. She looked at her fingernails. They were polished, white, short like usual. She dragged them across her face, down her cheeks, then looked back at the mirror. Her pale face was streaked with red marks, where her fingers had dug into tender flesh, and her eyes were purple with puffiness and red with tears.

"Oh, Lord, what have I done?" she whispered to herself. But deep inside, she knew, the animal within purred with satisfaction. Biting her lip, she looked at her skinny legs, bare besides a pair of blue boxers. She screamed, "Why's this happening to me?" Rushing outside, she kicked down all of the flowers lining her neat, suburban sidewalk. A tiny bead of blood lay on the pebbled drive outside of her house. Kale fell to her knees and impaled her right hand into the rock. It shattered under her strong and powerful rage, and the drop of red disappeared deep into the hole made by the slam of her fist. Her hand was bleeding, deep with scrapes and cuts, but her mind was not signaling that she should be in pain. She slowly rose to her feet and, slumped over, walked inside, feeling defeated.

In her bedroom, she cuddled up in her bed and reflected on the past two months:

Kale was walking home from the mall, munching on a vegan burger, when a growl erupted from behind her. She turned, but no one was there, so she continued to go on her way. Another growl emerged from the bushes, so she started to run, but whatever had made the noise was fast-paced, leaping over branches and various debris scattered on the ground. Its almost-soundless, padded feet tapped impatiently, as it bounded, hit the sidewalk, and jumped up again. In a flash, it hit her back full-force, throwing her to the ground. An involuntary scream rushed from her throat, invoking a loud howl from the creature. She tried to clamp her eyes shut, but couldn't resist opening them to look at what had captured her. A big, furry, brown dog-like creature sat on her chest, foaming at the mouth, and its yellow eyes not blinking. It dove into her, long nails scratching at her garments, what were once pearl-white fangs splash with blood as it bit her jugular. Then, it was over. The dog-like creature yelped and slumped over her. Kale pushed it off of her, holding a hand to her neck, and looked down.

It was decidedly a wolf, though too big and brown for a local wolf. She looked at what had ended its rampage - and life. A silver bullet twinkled through the mass of fur matted with blood. The wolf started to dissolve, turning a pale peach, right into a...human! "Werewolf!" Kale gasped, shuddering. She had never seen one, and until just then, thought they were fake. But the thing in front of her was as real as she was. And one other thing, she had remembered from a book, that a werewolf's bite, if not fatal, was transforming. And if that was so, then she...Snapping out of her phase, she glanced up from the ground to look at her savior. But whoever had rescued her was now gone.

She ran home, ran straight to the restroom to see her bite mark, to see if she needed medical assistance, but the bloodflow had already ceased, and the wound was healed, a white, dot-shaped scar in its place. "Of course," she murmured, "I'm not human anymore, no reason to bleed." Kale had spent that night in denial, but reality hit her in the morning, and she had spent a month fighting transformations, resisting the urge for flesh, meat, bones, blood. But she had been stupid last night, and went for a walk as the full moon sunk behind the clouds. It was her first kill, and it had taken its toll.

Kale woke up, blinked a few times, then realized that she had fallen asleep. She looked at the clock. It was 7:00 A.M., two days after her first kill, and also a school day.


	3. School

As we sit in the car, rain pitter-patters on the roof and windows. I glare into the mirror as little dot shadows play on my face. My mom says something, but my brain doesn't register it, and I glumly tap my fingers on the leather seat.

In Algebra, we do Percent Problems. I doodle on my binder, paying no attention, and in my mind make up my own problem: David eats 100 of the hamburgers he buys, and he buys 5 hamburgers. How big of a monster is he?

I officially loathe my Language Arts teacher. She's forcing us to read Mythical Creatures, an in-depth journey into the lives of werewolves, vampires, and the Loch Ness monster. Joy.In Health class, I notice Dennis is missing. But why wouldn't he be? He's anything but healthy. I can still feel my inner creature's teeth ripping apart his flesh, savoring the gritty texture and warmness of the blood. Gurgling it, surrounding its mouth in the red substance.

When I snap out of my nightmarish skip down memory lane, I notice that I am in Art, and have been doodling a dinosaur for the past hour. Random, yet..."MAGNIFICENT!" squeals Mr. Ballad, hoisting my picture up and showing it to everyone. "She has captured such, such, _beauty _and _emotion _in this simple drawing. I am thrilled with her - why can't the rest of you be like her?" he leans down toward me, his breath sharp with the smell of chocolate, his favorite food, and pats my back. "Good job." I just nod and smile weakly, taking my paper back and adding a touch of color to the creature. What if dinosaurs were vegetarians? Could they control their blood lust long enough to find another, less hazardous meal?

And will I be able to hold off long enough for the anti-meat cravings to kick in?


	4. The Last Moon

Kale walked home from school, choking back tears. Tonight would be her last transformation of the month. She rued the day she had walked home from the mall alone. She heard sneakers hitting the ground behind her and snapped around. A boy with windswept auburn hair was smiling at her. He had beautiful brown eyes. 

"Hi." she couldn't help but smile at his intoxicating chocolate orbs. A little lower, his lips were home to snake bites.

"Hey. I've seen you around, your Kale, right?" she nodded, biting her lip. "I'm Jay. Well, anyway, there are some scary things around at night. You should head home."

"You're not kidding." she turned back around and started back home at a brisk pace.

"Wait. Would you like to go to VegPalace and get some dinner tomorrow night?" he had a funny way of asking her out. She had just met him and yet he - but still, he was cute.

"You're a vegetarian too?"

"Yeah, of course. What they do to animals is so cruel." he beamed at her.

"Sure, I'll meet you there at. . .seven?" he nodded and Kale turned back around. "Nice meeting you by the way." and she left before he could utter another word.

Cooped up in her room, Kale yelped. Fur started to emerge just as it had before. She burst out of her door, knocking it off its hinges, and raced down the stairs and out the front door. She bounded through the empty streets, to the park where the jerks hung out, smoking and partying. She tore them all to pieces, loving their screaming and pleading.

When she got home, around 3 A.M., she got deathly sick. Kale spent the next three hours throwing up, instead of getting ready for school. So she skipped out on school and took every known medicine to cure her upset stomach. And they eventually worked.

The date that night was amazing. Kale wore her long black skirt with a red dressy top and had her mom, who was home on very few occasions, drive her to VegPalace, a small, formal vegetarian restaurant a few blocks away. When Jay saw her, his eyes bulged. "H-hi." he stuttered in the most non-romantic way. "You look nice." he was wearing khaki pants and a navy blue button-up shirt. Her heart beat for him, for him to know all of her. But she couldn't tell him. So she said and rethought her next sentence.

"Hi. You too." she sighed with relief internally, thankful that she hadn't been a goof and jumbled up her words.

He led her to a small alcove in the back, right by a crackling fireplace, quiet, with a little candle to make the setting as romantic as possible. The waitress came, and they both ordered water, and Kale ordered a baked potato and onion soup, and Jay got a plate of veggie buffalo wings with a side of celery sticks. As they waited for their food, they conversed.

"So, how long have you been a vegetarian?" Jay asked timidly, watching Kale with amazement. How could someone be so perfect yet not popular?

"Ten years." Kale absent-mindedly played with the flames from the candle, twirling her finger around the candle, watching the flames lick up her finger, yet not burning her. Nothing hurt Kale anymore, except the change.

"Four, for me." he stared at her dreamily, then caught, in the soft light of the restaurant, a small scar up near her neck, one of the many she had suffered the night of the werewolf attack. Sure, the holes had cleared up, but they had left a few scars in their wake. "Where did _that _come from?" he reached his hand over the table and trailed his hand down her neck.

"Evil. . .puppy." she said, moving her hand up to put it over his. 

"Puppy?"

"Yeah. Oh, look, food!" she exclaimed gleefully, thankful to change the subject. The two ate and talked, and Jay asked her to go out the following night. She agreed, and the couple went out almost every night. There was a party, or a concert, or some type of fun to be had nearly every night.

And so it went for the next month. Until Kale looked up at the moon one night and saw the menacing white ball glaring down at her. With all her strength, she resisted the change long enough to call Jay, fake a sickness, and tell him she couldn't go out with him tonight.

Laying on her bed, as the transformation took place, she howled at the moon and wondered how long she could continue this charade, of being human, before she had to tell Jay the truth. She decided maybe if she could wait a few more months, she would gain the courage to tell him.

But eventually, she forgot altogether about telling Jay, even though each month brought a sharp reminder, it was always in the back of her head, and she never got to tell him how each month she turned into a big scary mythical creature. So she never saw the freaked-out look or heard "You're crazy," though she suspected it all along. And month by month, she fell deeper in love, so she eventually decided never to tell him, for fear of losing the one person she had grown so attached to.


	5. The Beach And The Sunset

The clear water sparkled, bathing in the sun's spotlight. The cool water lapped gently at Kale's feet, he dainty toes nestled in the warm sand. She swayed with the water, admiring the silence. The deep, unpenetrated silence that held everyone in enchantment. Silence was Kale's greatest enemy in her animal state, but as a human, it was beautiful and tranquil.

Kale's peace was interrupted by a shell that was thrown into the water, upsetting it into ripples of rage. She watched as the water settled and, inevitably, the shell sank slowly down onto the mushy beach's floor. She then turned and looked to see who was standing beside her, turned to see the assassin of calmness.

Jay waved slightly. Kale thought his half-wave was the cutest. He kissed her cheek softly and flashed the smile that melted her like butter on a hot day.

"What are you up to?" he asked, putting his arm around her waist.

"The beach, it's so beautiful today, and empty. . ." she mused.

"I am one with the water, " he teased lovingly.

"That's not funny." she pushed him playfully.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you for that!" he roared, tickling her. The two fell onto the sand, laughing and tossing the sand at one another.

About thirty minutes later, the sun started to sink below the horizon, which just happened to be on the other side of the water from the couple. They watched in amazement, holding hands as the orange sun drifted down, seemingly into the beautiful water, as darkness cloaked the earth, taking over the sun's place. Kale leaned into Jay, tears sparkling in her eyes. She hadn't seen a sunset through her own eyes since she had been turned. Memories flashed back to her, of the nights where she had murdered right after the fateful sunsets, and she had always viewed them as the symbol of death, the symbol of the pain it brought her. But now, with the image of it lodged in her head as she lay in Jay's arms, she saw them as the peaceful finish to the peaceful day she had just went through. The beach and the sunset walked hand-in-hand. They were nature's lovers. Jay was the sunset to Kale, the beach.

"Shouldn't you be heading home?" Jay asked. In that way he was exactly like the sunset: quick, finished almost as soon as it began. Kale was like the beach in that she lasted long after the sunset had passed, gently rocking with the wind, which stayed after hours as well.

"No," she said dreamily, still watching the spot where the sun had retired for the night. "My parents never come home. They are always on business trips."

"Well, can I go home with you?" the question stunned her. "No," he said, quickly amending his words as he noticed the shock on her face. "I mean, not, uh, do. . .I just meant, hang out for a while?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." she stood up and headed home, her hand clasped tightly in his, beach to sunset, sunset to beach.  



	6. Truths

Kale pawed the ground. It was full moon. She let out a low growl. A hummingbird zoomed through the air and she swatted at it in vain. It buzzed its curses at her and flitted away. She - no, the beast inhabiting her body - trotted along to the park. She was tracking a scent that her incredible sense of smell had picked up. An odd, powerful smell that reminded her of someone she knew in her human state. She didn't know how - werewolves are not exactly smart - but the scent was so strong, so like her own. Could it be another werewolf? Was that even possible? She sniffed the air and her eyes narrowed. Across the park, behind the swing set, a large dog lay panting. It seemed to sense Kale and rose up in a seductive manner. It paced the lawn, Kale's eyes following him as he moved, flexing his shoulder blades in a show-offy way. _He's a werewolf, too!_ she thought. Apparently all the other werewolf had on his mind was eating and mating, he was more likely than not older than Kale. One of the male werewolf's ears had a streak of blue running from the tip of it to the middle of his head, Kale's powerful eyes could see it even though the werewolf's fur was midnight black. She noticed with fear that the werewolf had a small hole in its side. _That's the werewolf that bit me!_ she thought with realization. _But. . .how is that even possible? He's_ supposed_ to be dead!_ But even more captivating than the bullet hole, was that streak of blue. She gave his head one last look, then turned and pranced away, leaving the male to cast his eyes downward in defeat.

In the morning, Kale awoke on her front lawn. She had come back home right after the park and fell asleep outside. Now she saw that she was nude, and she stood up and rushed inside. After taking a shower and clothing herself, she called Jay and told him to come over. He arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

"Hey!" she kissed him tenderly. He returned the kiss and she grabbed his shirt and pulled it up off of him.

A small hole rested near his ribcage.

She pulled back from him and placed her hand over her mouth in surprise. "You. . ."

"I. . .Kale. . ." he stammered, pulling his shirt back on.

"I've known since last night. It was why I invited you. I'm just. . .shocked. Why'd you do it? Why'd you make me this way?"

"I'm not going to apologize. What I did to you was a blessing."

"I killed two people!"

He said nothing.

"You said it's a gift, right? Well, can I return it?"

"It isn't a sweater that you can just take back to the store and forget about. You have to die for it to stop."

"I thought _you_ died."

"Bullets can't kill me."

"But silver -"

"Those bullets weren't pure silver. They were simply _coated _with silver. They have to bullets with a silver center." Kale was speechless. She just glared at him like he was crazy. "I did this because I love you."

"I know. Meet me by the beach tomorrow."

"Okay." Jay started to hug her, but she shrugged him off. He left with a final look of longing in her direction. She laid on the bed and sobbed her way into the night, straight through her transformation.


	7. Bella Morte

Kale woke up naked in her bed, thirsty even out of her fur. She rose up slowly, taking in her room. Feathers were everywhere, and rows of long scratches from her nails ran down her walls. She could hear the soft ring of a telephone in the distance, and in her heart, she couldn't help but think the ringing was just her imagination. Nonetheless, she rushed downstairs, as a way to escape from the disaster of her night pent up during her change. She had never went that wild before. Her bare feet felt awkward against the fuzzy carpet of her living room, and as her legs bumped together, she winced at the awkwardness of her perfectly smooth legs, such an inversion to the fur that swallowed her whole under the full moon. She shrugged it off, completely disregarding that she was stark nude, and picked up the phone.

"Kale." a beautiful voice chimed.

"Jay. . ."

"We still on for the beach today?" he seemed extremely cheerful and hopeful.

"Yeah." her voice was indifferent. "I have to go."

"I love you, Kale." he said hurriedly.

She nodded, but then realized he couldn't see her. "Yeah. Me too. Bye." she hung up the phone.

She heard the turn of a key in the door and rushed upstairs, pulled on a pair of bedraggled pajama pants and throwing on a long t-shirt. Then she bounded down the stairs, two at a time, like she had just woken up, taking extra care to yawn a long symphony. Then she turned into the kitchen and stared at her parents, her father sitting at the table, drinking black coffee and reading the newspaper. Her mother was leaning against the kitchen counter, sipping something that looked like blood to Kale, but from the smell she knew it was heated Kool-Aid, her mom's favorite beverage and a disgusting concoction to Kale and her father.

"Hey, Dear!" her mother said, and a bit of warm red sloshed over the chipped mug, tempting, tantalizing Kale into an internal frenzy. Her claws started to sprout, and she stuffed them being her back hurriedly.

"Hi, Mom. Dad. Look, I was thinking I'd go out to the beach today. . .with, well, he's kinda my boyfriend. We we've been hanging out, and you guys haven't really been home lately. . ."

"Oh, no, sure, fine! Go, right ahead, Muffin!" her father boomed, a little over joyously. "We have to go to Spain tonight, so be sure to take your key with you."

"But. . .didn't you just get home?" she asked, losing a little of her spirited elation.

"Yes." her mother laughed. "Yes, we did. That's the funniest things. We had just pulled our bags into the den when Wilkins called us. The proprietor of our business in Spain has went missing. He wants us to fill in until he can appoint another owner."

"Oh." Kale said simply. "Well, I better go get ready. See you. . .when you get back." she planted quick kisses on her parents' cheeks, and turned to go back to her room.

Rushing upstairs, she entered the bathroom and turned the hot water all the way up. She let it run as she got out a thick, long white towel and a white rag. Then she went into her bedroom to survey the damage again. Two of her pillows were mutilated, and it was obvious by the excess of feathers that she had went overboard.

Kale went back to the bathroom, and seeing the tub almost overflown, she hurried to turn the knob in reverse, slowing the water flow. She slipped effortlessly and graciously into the scalding water. She sunk low, loving the burn of the temperature. After she had washed, she emptied the tub, watching without actually _watching_, the water go down the drain. Then she refilled the tub with more scalding water.

She took the water into her mouth and let it drip out. Even though it was as torrid as fresh blood, it was flavorless, colorless. . ._bloodless_. She sat back up hunched herself into a sitting position, resting her head on her knees. She lapped the water off of her knees apathetically. Then she ran her teeth slowly along her tender skin.

Kale grew her teeth and plunged them into her leg, savoring the blood as it trickled out. She drank for as long as she could handle, blood droplets splattering on the sides of the tub, then softly whimpered as she removed her teeth from the wound and laid her head back on her knees. She cried, thinking to herself, _Who am I now? I have no clue what I am anymore._

Then she pulled herself out of the bath, and towel dried herself in a haste, sobbing even more as the white towel was drenched with blood. She walked uneasily to her room and sat on the bed, her towel cloaking her.

Eventually Kale got up enough energy to stop crying and get dressed. She jumped into some camouflaged boy shorts and a tight black t-shirt with her favorite band's name in gold lettering. Then she dried her hair and spun it into bouncy ringlets around her face, neck, and shoulders. She applied a little makeup, making sure it was waterproof, she didn't want her crying to make her a raccoon.

By the time Kale had made it to the beach, Jay was already looking distressed, obviously debating whether to yell at her or not. She flounced up to him. "Sorry, had to get dressed."

Jay gave a petulant toss of the head. "Why do you insist on being _so_ human, Kale? I can understand a little, I mean, I did dye my hair, but. . ." he trailed off.

"It's because I'm a girl. It's a girl's sacred birth right to dress up."

Jay moved his hand to her face and ran a soft hand down her cheek, smiling. "I don't want you to hate me, Kale, dear. I thought you'd want this."

She bit her lip, angry but not showing it, as Jay's touch calmed her down. "I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to kill people."

"I know."

"And you. . .you said you were a vegetarian, too. How can you be when you have this creature unleashed in you?"

"It takes practice, Kale, and I'm sure it will be hard for you, seeing as you've had more than one square meal." he moved closer to her and kissed her head. "But you can do it."

"I did a rather. . ._peculiar _thing today. I fed off myself."

"Ah, you have already started your transition. After a few months, you won't even need your own blood to sustain yourself. You'll be cured. Aside from the monthly hairiness, of course. And even more, if you'd like. You can change as you will, but you can't stay human on full moon, I'm sure you know that." she nodded, surprised. Then she threw her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms.

"And you'll stay with me? And help me through this?"

"As long as you want me here."

"I do. Always." she leaped down and kissed him affectionately. Then the young couple started to change, and ran the long stretch of sand, tackling and playfully pawing each other as they bounded into the forest behind the beach.  



End file.
